Taliban claim of controlling 90pc of Afghan border is ‘lie’
The Taliban’s claim to hold 90 percent of Afghanistan’s borders is an “absolute lie”, the defence ministry said yesterday, insisting government forces were in control of the country’s frontiers.
Ex-rights chief to lead UN Israel-Palestinian inquiry
Former UN rights chief Navi Pillay will lead the United Nations’ open-ended inquiry into “systematic” abuses in Israel and the Palestinian territories, it was announced on Thursday.
For the first time, Saudi women stand guard in Mecca during haj
Inspired by her late father's career, Mona decided to join the military and the first group of Saudi women soldiers to work in Islam's holiest sites, where they are helping secure the haj...
Ben & Jerry's to end ice-cream sales in occupied Palestinian territories
American ice-cream brand Ben & Jerry's on Monday said it would stop marketing its products in the occupied Palestinian territories, bowing to Palestinian pressure campaigns and saying that...
Suicide attack in Iraq's Sadr City kills 35, wounds dozens
A suicide bomber killed at least 35 people and wounded dozens in a crowded market in the Sadr City neighbourhood of Baghdad on Monday, the eve of the Eid al-Adha festival, security and hospital...
Hajj in Pandemic: Pilgrims flock to Mt Arafat
Muslim pilgrims ascended Saudi Arabia’s Mount Arafat yesterday in the high point of this year’s hajj, being held in downsized form and under coronavirus restrictions for the second year running.
Erdogan condemns EU court ruling on headscarves ban
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday hit out an EU court ruling allowing employers in some cases to ban staff from wearing headscarves at work.
Indian ministers, opp leaders among ‘targets’
Spyware Pegasus, which is sold by the NSO Group of Israel, may have been used to conduct surveillance on about 300 Indians, including two serving Cabinet ministers at the Centre, three opposition...
PEGASUS SPYWARE: HOW DOES IT WORK?
Researchers believe that early versions of the hacking software, first detected in 2016, used booby-trapped text messages to install itself onto the phones of targets. The recipient would have to...
Pilgrims stream out of Makkah
Hajj pilgrims streamed out of the holy city of Makkah and into the Mina valley yesterday, launching the rituals of the great pilgrimage which Saudi Arabia is holding in a scaled-down form for a...